"The Trade Camp"
It is claimed the "The Trade Camp" was the first camp created, a claim refuted by few. It was the idea of a human, whose name has been lost to time, from the Machtig Empire. She had a mission, to make all those realise that all races were useful, and all should be equal. This was when the Empire was at its peak, a perilous time for all non humans. What would drive her to do this? Some say she had a orc lover. Others say she was a half breed. Regardless, she had her mission. The Founder had a mixed race group, which expanded over time, gathered from prisons and slave camps that she had liberated. Races other than humans would not be dealt with in the Empire, so The Founder had to pretend the others were her slaves despite in reality being equals. She wished to show them all how useful these races really were. She did so well in fact, that the Empire decided to populate their slave camps with non humans even more than they had ever done before, leading to the "Empire's Harvest". During this period, the The Trade Camp had to flee the Machtig Empire to more friendly lands. Despite much loss and sacrifice, most of the camp had made it out alive, just barely. Their tight bonds proved vital. Since their heroic escape, The Trade Camp used their skills to show to the world how useful they were. Once the Empire began to decline, others having heard tales of this valorous camp were inspired and set up their own. Freed slaves from the Empire were especially keen on the camp system, due to their shared background and burning desire for equality, representation, and free will. With the surge of new camps, The Trade Camp gradually sifted away from the more practical purposes it was founded on and contained many scholars, clerics and bards to educate all on its history and glory. Armed warriors joined to protect those on their mission to spread the camps name. Hunters and herders joined to feed those on this sacred mission, and the artisans and traders left with less opportunity to make an income. The Trade Camp underwent a great change. In recent days, The Trade Camp see themselves as the most superior camp and try to guide and assist lesser trade camps by using their great respect and cumulative knowledge. Their influence is great on most trade camps, excluding the Great Camp, which allows them to sort out disputes between camps easily and keep order between them. This is part of, but not the sole, reason Trade Camps maintain their honour codes so strongly. Harassment of the Machtig Empire, The Trade Camp's bitter crumbling rivals, is the other activity they partake in. The history resonates strongly, no other trade camps venture into the Empire unless they wish to cause trouble for its inhabitants. Some argue this is against the founding principles of the camp, but The Trade Camp carries on its war of vengeance none the less. Trade Camps hold their grudges, they do not forget their history. The current number of members